Glorious Goodwood

July 25, 2016 heraldandheart Blog

The Qatar Goodwood Festival begins tomorrow and it is going to be glorious! That’s right, the five-day event is popularly known as ‘Glorious Goodwood’ and is set in the Sussex countryside. It is the sporting and social highlight of the flat-racing season.

A bit of history…

According to the website, Goodwood has played host to the Sport of Kings for over 200 years.

The story began when the Third Duke of Richmond introduced horseracing to Goodwood for the benefit of the officers of the Sussex Militia – of which he was Colonel – rather than any great devotion to the Turf.

The officers held their annual races in nearby Petworth Park, courtesy of the Earl of Egremont, but when the invitation was withdrawn in 1801 due to the Earl’s capricious nature the Duke of Richmond came to the rescue, establishing a course on the Goodwood Estate known as “The Harroway”.

Horseracing was suspended during the Second World War, but Goodwood’s popularity as a horseracing venue began to grow rapidly during the second half of the 20th Century. In 1953, 55,000 spectators were there for the July Meeting’s Tuesday meeting.

Glorious Goodwood style tips…

For the gentlemen

The Stewards’ Cup was first run in 1840, and it was here that Edward VII caused a sartorial stir by sporting a Panama hat and lounge suit instead of traditional top hat and tails.

Richmond Enclosure

While a jacket and tie is required for the Richmond Enclosure, dressing for Goodwood should be relaxed and elegant, the kind of outfit that has timeless appeal but a smartness to make sure you fit in wherever you go. A linen suit is classic, especially when topped with a trusty Panama hat. Jeans are not permitted in this enclosure.

Gordon & Lennox Enclosure

More informal than the Richmond Enclosure but no less elegant. Jackets and ties are not compulsory, however, we would encourage racegoers to dress to impress. Bare chests and fancy dress are not allowed in any enclosure. Gentlemen are also discouraged from wearing shorts and sleeveless tops.

For the ladies

A summer wedding outfit might lend itself to Goodwood, an effortless dress that feels fun but chic is the order of the day and vibrant prints will be sure to make you stand out. Don’t forget the millinery! This is just the place to experiment with headwear, from flamboyant headpieces to more elegant pillboxes, racegoers have been donning a hat for seasons – time to join them.

We have a few suggestions:

Dates to remember:

28th July 2016: Ladies’ Day
29th July 2016: Best Dressed in blue and white, the signature blue and white colours of our sponsor L’Ormarins.

Have fun!

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It Ain’t Your Hat, Put It Back!

July 11, 2016 heraldandheart Blog

That’s right, it ain’t! We happened to come accross one of these labels this week and after doing some digging we found that there are a few variations online, particularly on The Fedora Lounge. A few chaps on there put up pictures of cards they found in vintage hats like this one:

Source: The Fedora Lounge

There’s not much to be found on the history of these cards but we can see how they came in handy. Picture this – you’re a chap and you’re taking your hot date to the theatre. You leave your coat and lid at the coat check, but after the show, you realise that someone else has picked up your hat by mistake (or they just thought yours was much nicer than the one they came in with, the rascals)!

These cards were a good way of indicating how to return the lost hat to its rightful owner. We think it’s a topping idea so we’ve designed our own versions and we will be given them out with every hat purchase in our Fulham and Rye shops.

Olympiad Games for the Unathletic

July 4, 2016 heraldandheart Blog

SAVE THE DATE – the Chap Olympiad is back in town and you’re in for a treat! You can expect a day‐long celebration of English eccentricity to the backdrop of a traditional summer garden party. Taking place on Saturday 16th July, Britain’s best dressed will once again descend on Bedford Square Gardens for a very British party, complete with Olympiad games for the unathletic, live music, and Bourne & Hollingsworth’s trademark cocktails.

As Britain readies itself for a summer of sporting triumph at the Rio Olympics, The Chap Olympiad offers a welcome relief for those who were never picked for the school sports team due to being too weedy, and for whom a well-‐pressed suit is deemed close to godliness.

True to the Chap style, the Olympiad games are designed to reward panache rather than sporting prowess, and require the minimum of physical exertion. Featuring such events as the Corby Trouser Press Challenge (an alternative assault course), Not Playing Tennis (the laziest ever game of tennis), and the eagerly observed Umbrella Jousting (as you might expect), The Chap Olympiad has become a London institution and a must-see event for anyone visiting London.

DRESS CODE: elegant finery, military wear, formal wear, dandy wear. No sportswear except cricket whites and absolutely no denim.

THE CHAP OLYMPIAD

SATURDAY 16TH JULY 2016

BEDFORD SQUARE GARDENS LONDON, WC1

FROM 12PM TO DUSK THE GAMES BEGIN AT 1PM

Tickets are £25 on www.thechapolympiad.com

The Dos and Don’ts of Henley Royal Regatta

June 29, 2016 heraldandheart Uncategorized

As with all events in “the season”, the rules on dress at Henley Royal Regatta are numerous. An important point to remember is that the Regatta itself does not have a dress code. Indeed it is possible to watch the races wearing whatever you want, however much like Ascot, if you want to get into certain areas, there are distinct rules which must be adhered to. According to the official website, these are the dos and don’ts if you want to watch the races from Temple Island or from the Stewards’ Enclosure:

Do:

Wear collared shirts, lounge suits or blazers and flannels for the gentlemen (and yes, a tie is preferable).
Show your support by wearing your club blazer.
Wear skirts or dresses down to the knee for the ladies – no trousers or culottes.
Wear a hat – it is customary though not compulsory.

Don’t

Wear jeans, shorts, denim or trainers.
Opt for a large Ascot-type hat as it will undoubtedly block other people’s view.
Leave your mobile phone at home – anyone seen taking calls will have their badge number noted by security guards and anyone who commits the offense twice will be escorted out of the enclosure.

That’s it from us, enjoy the show!

Stetson Summer Hats

April 29, 2015 heraldandheart accessories, Blog, Hats, Men Fashion, Millinery, Shopping in Rye, Summer, Trends, Uncategorized

As Stetson celebrate their 150th anniversary, we are dedicating our social media channels to saluting this marvellous brand on their milestone.

The Stetson Spring Summer’15 range is true to the brands own aesthetic of classic shapes with a rugged edge; harmonizing it’s Western heritage with the current fashion landscape. We have a great selection of their straw and raffia hats which are the perfect accessory for effortless and understated summer style.

See below the Lamesa Toyo, a light straw hat with folded ribbon. The Merton Fine Tripilla Palm (Malibu Traveller) is a heavier hat peppered with dark flecks of colour and a embossed leather band. The Marrero Raffia is a pork pie influenced shaped hat with cobalt and red ribbon. The Millis Raffia, a pork pie shape with two tone ribbon and a lighter raffia on the underside of the brim. Finally the Hatteras Stripe an eight-piece stripe baker style cap with the classic button on the top and aeroplane brooch detail on the left back.

You can find these beautiful Stetsons, along with us at: 102 High St. Rye, E. Sussex, TN31 7JN// 01797 225261

Sticks & Stones

April 20, 2015 heraldandheart accessories, Blog, Clothing, Shopping in Rye, Summer, Trends, Uncategorized, Women Fashion

One of the newest additions to our shop is a leather accessories brand Sticks & Stones. They produce a range of intensely coloured leather handbags and purses, which are stylish and understated despite their bold colour. However their is more to our new favourite brand than just pretty accessories.

Sticks & Stones started as a young vintage leather brand in 70’s Amsterdam, being showcased at the infamous Waterlooplein market- a hive for emerging fashion and creatives. It wasn’t until the 1980’s-1990’s that Sticks & Stones unique brand identity and products began to form. Noticing a gap in the market for colourful leather goods Sticks & Stones became the first leather brand to produce collection consisting entirely of brightly coloured leathers.

Another reason why we love them so much is because of their responsible and concious manufacturing. All of the leathers used by Sticks & Stones are AZO-free and they only work with tanneries with strict compliance and environmental regulations (which complies with EU regulations). The metal frames used in the handbags and purses are from a high quality German based supplier who complies with the implementation of REACH. A quote from Sticks & Stones website details the companies philosophy beautifully and cements our admiration for them- “We engage in running our business with great sensitivity to the world around us.”

Start Spreading The News…

April 16, 2015 heraldandheart Blog, Clothing, Hats, Millinery, Trends, Women Fashion

Herald & Heart has travelled over the Atlantic Ocean and touched down in New York City.

We are in the Big Apple to explore future ventures for us and our hats but I fear we have said to much already about our top secret, foreseeable plans, just rest assured the future looks bright, exciting and very hatty! As we can’t disclose to much about the purpose of our trip to New York I thought instead we should at the city and its fine backdrop it leant to many fashionable New Yorkers of glamorous era’s gone by…

Gordon Parks, 1950.

All of the above images were taken in March 1950 by the infamous Gordon Parks. To find out more about him and his incredible life and works visit … http://www.gordonparksfoundation.org/

The Panama Hat

April 7, 2015 heraldandheart Blog, Hats, Men Fashion, Millinery, Shopping in Rye, Summer, Trends, Women Fashion

The Panama hat is a traditional brimmed straw hat of Ecuadorian origin. The hats are hand woven from Paja Toquilla, a palm-like plant which is indigenous to the coastal areas of Ecuador.

It is believed that the Panama was produced from as early as the 17th century, gaining notoriety from the 19th century onwards with miners from the California Gold Rush and the 26th American President Theodore Roosevelt often sporting one on trips through Isthmus of Panama and Panama Canal. The popularity of the hat was once again heightened in the early 20th century with the emergence of glamorous Hollywood. The movie stars donned Panama’s both on and off-screen, it became a fashion accessory of the elite and desirable. The popularity of the Panama in England however began in 1902 when King Edward VII requested one from his Bond Street Hatter and since has remained a classic and coveted summer style staple.

Today, the need for genuine Panama hats continues to provide livelihoods to these Ecuadorian craftsmen however the production is becoming strained due to the competing and ever-present Chinese hat producers. The art of weaving the traditional Ecuadorian Toquilla Hat was added to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists in 2012. A programme which is directed at ensuring the protect of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and raising societies awareness of their significance.

A group of women weave Panama Hats out of the Paja Toquilla plant in Ecuador

Hot Bun Pudding

April 3, 2015 heraldandheart Blog, Clothing, Men Fashion, Shopping in Rye, Trends, Uncategorized, Women Fashion

Hot Bun Pudding is a sumptuous treat. An alternative to the plain hot cross buns we all like to devour on Good Friday and a perfect way to end your Easter Sunday leg of lamb roast.

Ingredients:

300ml double cream//600ml Milk//100g golden caster sugar//1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence//8 hot cross buns//40g soft butter//100g marzipan (cubed)//3tbsp chunky marmalade//icing sugar for dusting.

Method:

Preheat your oven to 170/150 fan/gas mark 3.

Cut the hot cross buns in half and spread the butter on them. Place in a shallow baking dish. Dot the cubed marzipan into the baking dish with the buns and glaze with marmalade. Set aside til later. Pour the double cream and milk into a pan and warm over a gentle heat. In a separate bowl whisk the egg, sugar and vanilla extract together with a fork. Once combined gradually add this to the warm milk and cream mixture. Pour the mixture over the hot cross buns and leave to soak for 15 minutes. As the buns soften push them further into the dish and mixture.

Bake for 50 minutes until set. Remove the pudding from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before dusting with icing sugar.

Serve your hot bun pudding while still warm. It’s perfect with a splodge of cream or a scoop of velvety vanilla ice cream.

Delicious!

Tagua Pendants

March 24, 2015 heraldandheart Blog, Trends, Women Fashion

We have an exquisite fourteen piece range of Tagua pendant necklaces which have just arrived from Just Trade. These accessories are not only beautiful to look at but there’s a beautiful story behind them too…

Just Trade was founded in the summer of 2006, it was a company born out of first hand contact with real people trying to establish a business or just a way of living in the developing world. Just Trade recognised the need to help these projects in becoming sustainable via offering a route to market their products. The company work collaboratively with the artisans and craftsmen who create the products. This relationship of working combines the traditional crafts and skills of the artisans with the knowledge of the contemporary jewellery market in Europe; to help establish a sustainable and educational business for all parties.

The pendants we have in the shop are from the Sosote Fair Trade Project in Ecuador. The artisans have worked with Just Trade to create an exclusive range of pendants which have been hand-carved from the tagua nut.

The tagua nut is often referred to as vegetable ivory because of its pure colouring and polished finish. The artisan selects the nut which is as close to the final design shape it can be, then using a variety of carving and sanding processes the nut is transformed into the very pendants you can see in our shop.

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